The effect of fractionated ethanol red ginger (Zingiber officinale var. rubrum) extract on the pH level of Streptococcus gordonii metabolism (In-vitro Laboratory Experimental Research)

Introduction: Oral health is important for the quality of human life, so maintaining oral health is necessary. However, many people have dental caries as one of the main diseases in the oral cavity. Dental caries can occur due to pH falling in the oral cavity by acid-producing bacteria, such as Streptococcus gordonii, which metabolizes sucrose as an energy source and produces lactic acid. Then, the environmental pH decreases. Chemicals are widely used as antibacterial agents, but long-term use can cause negative effects, hence antibacterial agents with minimal side effects are needed. Red ginger is one of the options that appears as a promising antibacterial agent. Even though a lot of research has been investigated regarding red ginger, there is limited information on the effect of fractionated red ginger extract on pH in bacterial metabolism, especially Streptococcus gordonii. This study aims to analyze the effect of the other components in red ginger besides its essential oil on the pH level of Streptococcus gordonii metabolism. Methods: The groups in this study are control group 1 (bacteria, BHIB), control 2 (bacteria, BHIB, 5% sucrose), and treatment groups (bacteria, BHIB, 5% sucrose, extract red ginger 1.56% and 0.78%). Data were analyzed with Duncan's One-Way ANOVA and Post-Hoc Multiple Comparison.  Results: The pH level of control group 2 was lower than group control 1 and treatment groups (p<0.05).  Conclusion: Fractionated ethanol extract of red ginger inhibits the decreasing pH level in the Streptococcus gordonii.